A new Dutch documentary follows Salem, a Moroccan in his twenties who fled the war in Ukraine and now lives in limbo in the Netherlands. The film, Purgatory, is the fifth title in the Teledoc Campus series, a Dutch program that supports emerging filmmakers in creating short creative documentaries, writes Dutch magazine and TV guide VPRO Gids on Thursday. Once an aspiring cardiologist, Salem is among 2,500 third-country nationals temporarily entitled to shelter, healthcare, education, and work, rights that the EU repeatedly grants and withdraws, leaving his life suspended between hope and uncertainty. Directed by Pieter Genee, the film shows Salem at soccer practice, working in a factory, and calling his family, whom he hasn't seen in three years. «Living without a passport is no life, but living in Morocco is also incredibly difficult», he says. «Why aren't we treated like Ukrainians? We're all human beings, aren't we?» When the Netherlands revoked those temporary rights, Salem's dream of stability collapsed. As of September 4, 2025, the Netherlands ended temporary protection for third-country nationals who fled Ukraine, requiring them to return to their country of origin and gradually revoking their rights to shelter, residence, healthcare, and employment This caused Salem to stop filming and disappear from Genee's life. «People have to make those choices because of these policies», the filmmaker reflects. With its main subject gone, Purgatory shifts direction, evolving from a personal portrait into a broader, essay-like meditation on Europe's migration policies and the question that inspired the film: what remains of one's dreams when life itself is stuck in the waiting room? Purgatory can be seen on Dutch public broadcasters NPO 2 and NPO doc.
